Best extreme long range cal ?

[Down Under Hunter]

What do you guys feel is the best calibre currently on the market and will do the most damage to a 600 lb deer inside 1500 yards ?

Looking for huge wound channel and heaps of energy on target and wants to weigh no more than low 20 lbs.

I am looking to see if there is a round out there that will show big bullet performance in the 1000-1500 yard range than will leave heaps of clues on the ground at impact, blood, tissue etc...

Hav seen what the BMG 750 Amax will do and looking at a middle ground between this and the EDGE. 375/408 might be it ?

Open to ideas and have wondered if a larger bullet diameter than 375 Ct may do better ? straight 408 or 416 ?

Not sure either way yet.

Throw your 2 cents in please !

 

[Topshot]

DUH,
Not an easy question to ask with the rifles that are available here in Aus. I would say that you need to look at it from the point of view of what materials are available here and how best to use them.

I would start with the cases and projectiles that are easily available and get a rifle built to suit.

With projectiles in something bigger than .338 calibre you might have to go with a monolithic soild such at the "Predator Projectiles" in order to keep a high B.C. They make a range of bullets and they are not expensive. You may need to sort them to get a batch of accurate ones but the ones I tried in .338 calibre seem to shoot OK. Maybe .408" or .458" calibers would suit you?

Then you would need an easily available case to build it on. How about the .500 Jeffery case?

The .500 Jeffery case is available from Norma and also Bertram right here in Victoria. The .500 Jeffery can shoot a 570 grain bullet at 2200 fps so you should be able to neck it down to a smaller caliber and fire a 350 to 450 grain bullet at about 2500 fps to 2800fps? This would make an animal weak at the knees at quite some distance.

Then all you need is for some Aussie "Blacksmith" to provide a suitable action and reloading dies and put it all together for you. But I have to be there when you fire it for the first time.

I would be interested to hear what other ideas some of the more experienced big banger shooters have to say on the subject.

 

[azsugarbear]

Best bullet selection and BC will still be in the .338 class. Kirby Allen makes a 338 Allen Magnum. It is made from a necked-down .408 CheyTac parent case and the ballistics are nothing short of awesome. It shoots a 300 SMK somewhere around 3,200 - 3,300 fps.

 

[trebark]

Best bullet selection and BC will still be in the .338 class. Kirby Allen makes a 338 Allen Magnum. It is made from a necked-down .408 CheyTac parent case and the ballistics are nothing short of awesome. It shoots a 300 SMK somewhere around 3,200 - 3,300 fps.

+1...look at the big 338's

 

[Oliveralan]

Best bullet selection and BC will still be in the .338 class. Kirby Allen makes a 338 Allen Magnum. It is made from a necked-down .408 CheyTac parent case and the ballistics are nothing short of awesome. It shoots a 300 SMK somewhere around 3,200 - 3,300 fps.

+2 on the allen mag, if you don't care about barrel life, but with a beast like that. who cares? For 1000-1500yards, you don't really NEED an allen mag, a .338 edge, .33 lapua AI, or .338 kahn will drop the animal too if you put the bullet anywhere near where it needs to go. I don't quite remember the exact numbers for the 7 allen mag but i think they'd suffice to 1500yards for deer. If you shoot heavy VLDs or ULDs.

Your lucky, i wish i had the money, skills, or opportunity to shoot like that. Maybe someday....

Oliver

 

[tc.mich]

Where are you hunting to have 600lb deer?

 

[Down Under Hunter]

I am currently using a 338 edge to great affect. The rifle has been extremely good to me.

I am looking to improve the bullet performance over what I currently shoot. At beyond 1000 yards and the 300 smk does not hit bone and is a central lung type shot they have needled and given me an extremely hard exersize to follow up.

I am aware that more HP from the 338 AM would improve bullet performance with the pill opening more. I may also want a larger wound channel and think a 375 AM might do it better.

Unlike alot of videos you have seen with the game being shot at range in wide open spaces, my window to observe the animal after the strike is about 2 steps. In a nutshell the country I hunt is so thick that I need them on the ground asap or I have trouble recovering them. Even with a really well placed shot.. so the more hurt I can put on them quickly the better. I really dont know if the 338 AM would get it done that much better with the same bullet ?

I would only go to a new gun if I was sure the benefits justify the expense I guess.

Anybody got any good pics of damage on game at range with a 375 CT or AM ?? Love to see them !

Thanks for your tips boys.

DUH

 

[trebark]

I am currently using a 338 edge to great affect. The rifle has been extremely good to me.

I am looking to improve the bullet performance over what I currently shoot. At beyond 1000 yards and the 300 smk does not hit bone and is a central lung type shot they have needled and given me an extremely hard exersize to follow up.

I am aware that more HP from the 338 AM would improve bullet performance with the pill opening more. I may also want a larger wound channel and think a 375 AM might do it better.

Unlike alot of videos you have seen with the game being shot at range in wide open spaces, my window to observe the animal after the strike is about 2 steps. In a nutshell the country I hunt is so thick that I need them on the ground asap or I have trouble recovering them. Even with a really well placed shot.. so the more hurt I can put on them quickly the better. I really dont know if the 338 AM would get it done that much better with the same bullet ?

I would only go to a new gun if I was sure the benefits justify the expense I guess.

Anybody got any good pics of damage on game at range with a 375 CT or AM ?? Love to see them !

Thanks for your tips boys.

DUH

Sounds like the trouble isn't the cartridge or power, but bullet performance.

 

[Down Under Hunter]

Sounds like the trouble isn't the cartridge or power, but bullet performance.

Your probably right ! I'm just hoping that a few hundred fps extra and maybe a larger front on the bullet will assist ? Maybe not though too ? HAve yet to see the damage these round will do at the ranges we speak of. I just would like to be able to hit them in the lungs and have a bullet open up.

DUH

 

[trebark]

Your probably right ! I'm just hoping that a few hundred fps extra and maybe a larger front on the bullet will assist ? Maybe not though too ? HAve yet to see the damage these round will do at the ranges we speak of. I just would like to be able to hit them in the lungs and have a bullet open up.

DUH

Although Nosler does not have a 300grain 338 bullet, they do have some good 338 bullets....E-tip, Silver Ballistic Tip, and Partition. All of them made for quick expansion. The partition is a 250grainer...that would give you screaming velocity out of your edge. Given that the deer down-under aren't big monsters, 250 grain bullet would do just fine.

 

[Chas1]

+3 338am.

 

[Down Under Hunter]

Although Nosler does not have a 300grain 338 bullet, they do have some good 338 bullets....E-tip, Silver Ballistic Tip, and Partition. All of them made for quick expansion. The partition is a 250grainer...that would give you screaming velocity out of your edge. Given that the deer down-under aren't big monsters, 250 grain bullet would do just fine.

I wonder what going back to a partition would do to the BC ? Probably crucify it. I think I will still need to stick to a big pill with big BC. It would also suffer alot more from bullet drift in wind ?

As far as the deer not being large , they are 600-700 lbs with kevlar shoulders and take one hell of a pounding before waving the white flag .

DUH

 

[trebark]

I wonder what going back to a partition would do to the BC ? Probably crucify it. I think I will still need to stick to a big pill with big BC. It would also suffer alot more from bullet drift in wind ?

As far as the deer not being large , they are 600-700 lbs with kevlar shoulders and take one hell of a pounding before waving the white flag .

DUH

holy crap! 600-700 pound deer!! What species of deer do you have? I'll google a pic.

 

[theodore]

Another point for 338 AM, but I would also look into the 338 edge.

Looking forward to the new 338 VLDs, anyone get results with them yet?